The Right Words
by dreamers4eva
Summary: This is a sequel to my first story, Ten Years. Read that first or you wont know what is going on! Dustfinger and Brianna's relationship has changed a lot but will that save them with so much danger lurking? Set towards the end of Inkspell.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I have been trying to get into the mood for writing this sequel for a while now but didnt really know how to carry it on without it sounding like i was just dragging my original story out. I still dont really know where im goint to go with this story but i have decided just to make a start to see if there is anybody still interested in it. Please let me know what you think, i know the chapter is short but if you review i will make them longer!**

**!!!!!!I dont own any of the characters, just the plot!!!!!!**

Dustfinger sat in the small room alone, thinking. How had he let this happen? Why had he found himself all alone again? Why was everyone slipping out of his grasp for the second time in his life?

He could not bear to think about Resa locked away in a cold, dark dungeon somewhere in the depths of the Castle of Night. She did not deserve it and he did not think that she would be able to cope for very long not after all those years spent with Capricorn in the other world. And he had promised to help her after all; he owed her and her daughter that much.

On the other hand, what about _his_ daughter? He knew it was selfish but he had only just got her back, how was he supposed to just let Roxanne take her away again? There was a good possibility that Basta was still out there somewhere, bitter and angrier than ever before and he couldn't allow him to get hold of his daughter again. He _wouldn't_. In truth, he still wasn't entirely sure if Brianna actually wanted to stay with him; all he knew was that that was what he wanted. And here at the infirmary had to be safer than back at Roxanne's farm, hadn't it? But what if Roxanne was right and it would be better for Brianna if she left? What could he do then?

Dustfinger's head fell into his hands. Meggie would be back soon with Farid. What was he going to say to her? That he couldn't help her save her mother or father because he needed to go after a daughter that possibly didn't even _like_ him, a daughter that appeared to be perfectly safe on her way home accompanied by her own mother. Even his head that sounded ridiculous.

So many questions that he couldn't even begin to find an answer to. He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do and he could hear footsteps coming down the hall. It was bound to be Meggie. Meggie who would want to know when they would be leaving for the Castle of Night. Meggie who would look at him with those eyes that were not unlike her mother's.

He couldn't think straight and he needed to make a decision. What was he going to do?

Then the sound of the footsteps finally caught his attention. They were not the sure, determined footsteps of Meggie ready to demand that they go. They were quieter, much more hesitant. Dustfinger knew that this could mean nothing good. Great, he thought, what was she going to tell him, that Farid had left too? Or maybe the Barn Owl had sent her to tell him that the injury to his leg was actually a lot worse than he first thought and he would not be able to walk properly on it ever again. Yes that sounded about right.

The footsteps stopped just outside the door and the silence seemed to fill the room, heavy and unsettling. It pressed against him and only after what felt like hours, it was broken by a very small knock.

Dustfinger cautiously got up from the bed he had been sitting on and went over to the door, mentally preparing himself for whatever she was about to say but still not quite having an answer to any of the questions she was sure to ask him. He took a deep breath and opened the door slowly as though trying his best to postpone the moment for a few more seconds at least.

However, it was not Meggie on the other side of the door. Standing there, leaning against the doorway slightly, looking much the worse for wear was his daughter: Brianna.

**Remember to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay so here is chapter 2. I don't know whether or not I like this one, I wrote it quite quickly and it was going to be longer but I kind of just decided that it was a good place to stop and left it there for now. I still want to know what you think about this story so let me know.**

**!!!!!!!I don't own any of the characters!!!!!!!!**

Dustfinger hastily got out of the way so his daughter could enter the room; his arms out to catch her if she fell, she still did not look too well. He opened his mouth to say something and closed it again quickly. He didn't know what to say, the right words just wouldn't come. Once again he found himself simply staring at her without a clue as to how to talk to his own daughter.

"What are you doing here?" The words were out before he could stop himself. Idiot! He thought. It sounded harsh and unkind even to him. Once more words were failing him. How was it that some people could make words do wonderful, even magical, things and yet he couldn't find a single one that sounded right?

Brianna looked towards her feet as she sat in the same spot her father had been just moments before. It seemed as though she was unable to look up. Unable or unwilling, Dustfinger thought. "I couldn't just leave," she muttered to her shoes.

"But where's your mother? Did she let you come back? Or is she still here too?" He glanced towards the door apprehensively as though Roxanne was going to come crashing in at any moment.

Brianna shook her head slowly. "We…..well we……we had a fight."

"A fight?" Dustfinger's heart dropped. As far as the Black Prince had told him, the last fight Roxanne and Brianna had had ended with Brianna moving out to go live at the castle and work for Violante.

"Yeah….erm….she said that we needed to go and I told her that I didn't want to and well…..she was still really mad and……"

"Brianna, what did she say?" he prompted as kindly as possible for a man that was already dreading the answer.

"She said that I got hurt because of you but it wasn't your fault, it was mine. I never should have left the castle, I should have stayed inside like you and the Prince told me to. And then none of this would have happened."

"Brianna-" Dustfinger's reply was cut off by a loud crash coming from the other side of the Infirmary and the unmistakable sound of soldiers marching into the building, shortly followed by Farid bursting into the room.

"They're here, they want Meggie but I don't know where she went. She said she wanted to be alone while she read that letter that the turtle-face gave her but I don't-"

"Okay, Farid calm down." Dustfinger turned to Brianna. "Can you walk?" She nodded. He looked her over doubtfully and for the first time since she had entered the room, she looked him straight in the eyes. He saw the determination and defiance that she still had in her despite her pale, tired face.

"Right, follow me."

He led them out of the room quickly, down a dimly lit passage and through a small door which brought them out on to the beach. Keeping close to the wall and hidden in the shadow, they crept around the building just in time to see Firefox and the others taking Meggie and the Barn Owl out into the night.

Farid shifted his weight from one foot to the other behind Dustfinger and Brianna; obviously wanting to go after them. "Will you stop it?" Brianna hissed at him. "They will see you."

Glaring at Brianna, Farid stopped. "We have to follow them," he said.

"Yes I suppose we do."

Both Brianna and Farid looked shocked at this response.

"What?" said Brianna.

"You mean it?" asked Farid excitedly.

Dustfinger nodded keeping his keen eyes on the soldiers.

"It's suicide," whispered Brianna.

"Not if they don't see us," Dustfinger replied simply.

"This is ridiculous. You will never make it out alive. All of the entrances and exits are guarded constantly. Not to mention the amount of soldiers the Adderhead has just wandering around the castle. The place is flooded with them. But that's _if_ you can get through the gate first. There isn't any other way in and they don't exactly raise it for just anybody-"

"Wait a minute. Brianna have you been there before?"

It was now Brianna's turn to be stared at in shock. She bent her head under their gaze.

"Well yes. I had to visit with Violante and I went to dance for the Adderhead once or twice…." Her soft voice trailed off into an unintelligible murmur but not before Dustfinger heard what she had said.

"You did what?"

"Well Violante wanted me there and it is my job to do what she-"

"Not that part. You danced for the Adderhead? Why would you ever do that? _When_?"

"He sent for me a little while after I started working for Violante. What was I supposed to say?"

"You could have said no."

"Oh yes because that would have gone down really well. And then I could have watched as he sent people like Firefox and the Piper to burn down the farm with Mum and Jehan still inside."

"HEY!" Both Dustfinger and Brianna jumped in surprise; they both had forgotten Farid was still standing there. "Meggie is being taken to the Castle of Night _now_. Can you two talk about this later?"

They nodded, slightly resentfully, in agreement.

"Okay. So how _are_ we going to get into that castle?"

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is chapter 3, it didn't take me long to write and chapter 4 has been started so it should be up soon. Please review and let me know what you think because I'm not sure if this story is going in the right direction.**

**!!!!!!Once again I don't own any of the characters!!!!!!!**

The moon was high in the sky by the time Dustfinger, Farid and Brianna were trudging through the trees to the Castle of Night. Both Dustfinger and Farid were as invisible as the wind though Dustfinger could hear Farid's quiet footsteps close behind him; faltering every time the cool breeze rustled the leaves or an owl hooted in the distance. The poor boy was still not convinced by his reassurances that there were no ghosts in this world. As brave as the boy was when it came to wandering through the front gate of the Silver Castle, the thought of one his imaginary spirits terrified him.

Even though he could not see him, Dustfinger could guess exactly how Farid looked now; determined to reach Meggie. Brianna, on the other hand, he could see quite clearly despite the darkness but he all he could do was speculate what was going on in her mind. Her face was impassive like he had trained his to be, she looked straight ahead. Unlike Farid, Brianna knew exactly what they were walking into but she step after step she took although her feet dragged a little. He wished he could tell her not to come. _Go back and rest Brianna, you don't have to don't this. _But he knew she wouldn't listen to him and he didn't have any other ideas as to how he and Farid were going to get inside that castle tonight. They needed to get in and get out before the sunrise or they would be seen.

With every step he took, Dustfinger could feel his heart beating faster and faster. They reached the castle in good time and as expected the gate was shut. Hidden in amongst the bushes and behind the trees, the three could see the guards on the other side, lounging on the ground and eyes drooping. Dustfinger crept closer to Brianna, "are you _sure_ about this?" he whispered.

"How else are you going to get inside?"

"We could wait for someone to come."

"That could take hours. You need to get in now."

"Fine but stick to the plan. Be ready to leave and don't forget to stay hidden. We will join you as soon as we can."

Brianna nodded and before he could say another word, before he could even tell her to be careful, she stepped out in full view of the guards.

"Who's there?" asked the rough voice of one the guards jumping to attention.

"Well hello to you too. I have to say I'm hurt, don't you recognise me?"

"Brianna," said the other guard. "What are you doing here?"

"The Adderhead can't sleep. He sent for me."

"But-"

"Well come on. What are you waiting for? Personally, I'd rather not have to explain to the Adderhead why I couldn't go to him straight away but if that's what you want..."

Dustfinger couldn't deny that she was good; she was as quick witted and sharp tongued as her mother and he noticed with a sense of pride that once again her face gave nothing away. Like an actress, she played her part well and left the guards with no other option except to let her in to the castle.

As Brianna made her way through the gate, she felt Dustfinger and Farid slip in beside her. When Farid had started towards the kitchens to find out any information that could be useful to them, Dustfinger pulled Brianna to one side, to a small cupboard.

"Wait for me here."

"What are you going to do?" Brianna asked, almost sulkily.

"I'm going to go find out where the captives have been taken."

"And I can't come because?"

"Brianna please, _please_ just stay here until I get back."

"Fine."

"Brianna," Dustfinger said warningly.

"Okay, okay, go on. I'll be here when you get back."

A slight pressure on her arm and then he was gone, closing the door quietly behind him. Brianna waited a few seconds and then slipped out of the tiny room. She was almost silent as she crept passed door after door, up a set of stairs, through a hallway, up another set of stairs. She paused only when she heard the distant murmur of voices. If she remembered correctly she should be somewhere above the grand hall where the Adderhead eats all his meals. She knew there was a door on this floor that led to a place that overlooked the hall and as long as she could find the right one, she should be able to listen to what was being said without anybody seeing her.

The first door she tried led to what looked like a store room, the next was a small bedroom, the one after that a kind of workroom. Just as she thought that it would be better just to wait in the cupboard for her father to come back she finally opened a door onto what was basically a ledge above the hall. Providing she stayed close to the wall she would be just as invisible as her dad was. She shut the door as quietly as possible behind her and listened to the voices coming from below her.

She recognised the Adderhead's voice instantly. Once you heard that voice you weren't likely to forget it, but the second voice was slightly harder to place. It sounded familiar but Brianna couldn't quite place it. He was saying something about payment. _Stupid man, _thought Brianna, _you can't demand payment from the Adderhead! _

"Ah yes of course. You there. Take this man to get his reward."

Brianna's jaw dropped in surprise. Who was this man that the Adderhead was so pleased with? She couldn't help it. She had to find out. She leant as far as she dared over the edge.

The Adderhead was sitting in his favourite chair at the head of the table while the man was being led from the room by a soldier. He turned only once but Brianna had seen his face: Sootbird.

**Review! Review! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4. Thank you to the people that have reviewed it really means a lot. Please, please, please keep reviewing because I do read all comments and listen to all advice.**

**!!!!!!All of the characters belong to Cornelia Funke and not me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Brianna gasped. She couldn't believe it. Sootbird! That treacherous, two faced fraud. No wonder she didn't recognise the voice straight away, she had spent the better part of the last few years avoiding him. She needed to tell the Black Prince. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get back to her hiding place _now_.

She slipped back out of the door, closing it carefully behind her. Turning to head back the way she came, she walked headlong into someone taller and stronger than her. Brianna let out a small scream when she saw who it was that she had walked into. Firefox's strong hands reached up to grab her arms before she tried to run the other way.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Struggling within his grasp, Brianna said the first thing that came into her head.

"Go to hell Firefox." She really needed to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Now, now Brianna." His grip got tighter.

"You need to let me go."

"Oh yeah and why would I do that?"

"Because-" her voice failed her, her mind went blank.

"Yes?"

"Please, Firefox. Let me go." She looked up at him, her eyes full of desperation, pleading with him. It was a long shot and she was far from being proud of it but what else could she do? Hoping against hope, that he might give in to her or that he might have had a few to drink tonight.

His eyes narrowed but his grip loosened. "Please, please you need to help me." She knew she had always been a good actress but this was just getting scary now. The despair in her voice was more than convincing; probably because of the fact that she was absolutely terrified of being someone else's prisoner and Firefox knew what it was that scared her much better than Basta did.

"Please, I'll do anything." By the way his eyes lit up, she knew she had taken it too far. Anything was a lot to promise someone especially someone like Firefox.

"Anything?"

"Erm…yes anything," she struggled to turn this back around. "But you have to help me get out of here first."

"Oh I don't think so." The evil smile that spread across his lips was enough to stop the bravest of hearts. He drew closer to her. Brianna held her breath. His hand slowly moved from her arm but then a voice called out.

"Firefox?" The voice came from around the corner. A soldier's voice.

Firefox round to where the voice had come from and swore under his breath. "Quickly in here," he whispered, dragging her into an empty room. "Don't move," he warned as he left.

Brianna could have sunk to the ground there and then. She couldn't believe her luck. She looked around the room. It was dark but moonlight shone in from the window. She went over and looked out. It was a long way down but another glance around the room showed her that this would be her only escape. Gripping the frame firmly, she lent out of the window far enough to see that just underneath was a ledge that went along the side of the castle. If she could stand on it, she would be able to edge along to the next room and if her luck held out maybe there would be another way out from there.

Still breathing as deeply as possible, Brianna carefully climbed out of the window. She gripped the window frame tightly as she placed her feet on the narrow ledge but she realised with relief that the ledge was quite strong and would hold her weight. Taking one last deep breath, she began to edge slowly and cautiously along the side of the building. Just as she had slipped out of the view of the window, she heard Firefox's voice, muffled from behind the closed door, but getting louder.

The distance between the two windows could not have been very far but to Brianna that window frame could not have reached her fingers fast enough. She could already hear the sound of Firefox's anger from the open window behind her. After making sure that this room was completely empty, Brianna scrambled back to the inside of the building. Next time she thought as she went over to a door, I'm just going to stay put and I'm not going to move an inch. No matter what happens, when they tell me to do something, I'm just going to do it.

Looking out of the door, Brianna knew exactly where she was and began a quick but quiet run back to where her father and the boy would be waiting at any minute. Only then did she think about what Dustfinger was going to say once he found out what she had done. He was going to kill her! And they had only just started talking to each other again. Just as she vowed that she would not tell him any of it, she rounded the corner to see her dad standing next to the empty cupboard with a frantic look on his face. A look that turned to relief and then anger very quickly as soon as he spotted her. Oh no…..

**So I know that Firefox and Brianna probably would not know each other but as there is not a part in any of the books that proves otherwise….I have always thought that it would be interesting to stick them both in a room together and see what happened, I think they'd make an interesting couple, but maybe I will do that for my next story. Anyway back to this story I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to tell me about it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So here is chapter 5 FINALLY! I know it has been forever but I couldn't seem to get in the mood for writing so I decided to take a bit of a break (that lasted longer than I meant it to). But I'm back now and there is no way I could have left this story unfinished. I'm going to write this and finish it before I start uploading it so **_**hopefully**_** by the time I upload this chapter I should've finished so you wont have to wait another 6 months for the next chapter **

**Everything still belongs to Cornelia Funke!!!!!!!!!!**

"I said I was sorry," Brianna pleaded with her father. They had left the castle and gotten past the guards at the gate without causing any suspicion but Dustfinger had refused to say a single word to her. She could see his face clearly now in the morning light but it didn't make any difference to her, he might as well have still been invisible to her; his face was as unreadable as ever. He just kept hold of her arm as though afraid that the second he let go she would disappear again and led her on through the trees with Farid behind them.

Meanwhile, Brianna was going insane. She wished he would say something, _anything_. He could shout and scream at her if he wanted to, anything was better than this heavy, uncomfortable silence. It was scary, he had never been very talkative but he hadn't even said anything to Farid, he hadn't told them where they were going and he didn't look as if he would ever open his mouth again.

She opened her mouth to say something and then shut it again. They had been walking for a while now and nothing she said or did seemed to have any affect on him. Since they had left the castle he hadn't so much as looked at her. However, Brianna was not the kind of person that liked being ignored.

"Can we stop?"

Silence.

"Please?"

Nothing.

"I don't know why you're so upset. It's not like anyone got hurt, is it?"

She sighed; he hadn't given any sign that he had heard her.

"Could you just look at me?"

_Right_, she thought after again getting no response. _Fine. If he wants to play it that way……_

Suddenly, Brianna wrenched herself free from her father's firm grasp and quickly placed herself a few feet out of his reach. She folded her arms tightly and stood still, staring resolutely at Dustfinger who had stopped walking and had his eyes closed as though praying for patience.

"Look at me."

Even Farid, who had been dragging his feet some way at the rear for some time now, had stopped and was looking curiously at the scene. Dustfinger turned to face his daughter slowly but his face was still impassive and Brianna glared at him daring him to come and get her.

A few moments passed. Farid looked back and forth between father and daughter; both of them were refusing to give in and trying to stare the other one down. After what seemed like an eternity, Dustfinger spoke.

"Brianna, come on now." He spoke to her the way you would speak to a toddler who was about to throw a tantrum and Brianna noticed.

"I am not moving." Her voice was quiet but it carried a defiant threat that made Dustfinger realise that his subtle taunts would not work and she was not going to go any further without a fight.

"What do you want from me, Brianna?"

"What do I want? I want you to talk to me! I want you to tell me what's going on inside that head of yours!"

Dustfinger let out a bitter laugh which cut through Brianna like a knife. "Fine you want to talk, let's talk about how you could do something so reckless and stupid? How could you be so foolish?"

"I was trying to help," she said quietly; she sounded so small and for the first time she dropped her gaze. Dustfinger, however, did not see this. He was so angry at her for risking her life so thoughtlessly that he continued.

"But you didn't help, did you? Do you have any idea what it was like coming back to find you gone? Missing again, when I was supposed to be looking after you."

"You had gone and you let Farid go too, why couldn't I?"

"Farid and I were _invisible_, Brianna," Dustfinger said. "Maybe it would have been better if you had gone back home with your mother."

Even as he said it, he knew that he had gone too far and that's when he finally noticed that Brianna was no longer glaring at him. In fact, she wasn't looking at him at all. She was looking up and Dustfinger could see the tears that had filled her eyes, the tears that she would never let fall, the tears that once again he had caused.

"Brianna, I didn't-"

"It doesn't matter. Let's go." Her voice didn't shake or falter once and she pushed passed her father forcefully.

Dustfinger stared after her, unable to move and it was only when Farid, who had stayed with him, drew his attention to the fact that Brianna was quickly leaving them behind that he begun to follow her.

**I realised at the beginning of this chapter that Brianna wouldn't be able to see Dustfinger or Farid as they were still invisible but as I had already written in the last chapter that she had seen him I couldn't change it. So let's just say that she could just about make him out because it was nearly morning and she was standing close to him or something okay? **

**Anyway I have a question: is Farid the same age as Brianna? I was thinking about it while I was writing this chapter and it's going to bug me until I know the answer so if anyone knows could you tell me please? **


	6. Chapter 6

**So on with the next chapter. I promise I won't waffle on like I did last time :P **

**I don't own anything from the Inkheart books!!!!!!!!!!!**

"Dustfinger! Brianna!" The Black Prince welcomed them warmly as the three finally entered the Badger's Earth. However, the smile on his face soon disappeared when Brianna swept passed him without a word and went to sit with some of the other strolling players with her back to the entrance and her father.

The Prince looked sternly over at Dustfinger before following Brianna and sitting beside her.

"Dustfinger?" Farid said tentatively. Dustfinger turned to look at him and he felt his heart break. With everything that had happened with Brianna, he had almost forgotten about the boy; the boy who looked so broken now. Why could he be so sad? _Oh yes_, he thought, _of course: Meggie_.

"We can't leave her there."

"We will go back," he replied. What else could he tell the boy?

"We will?" asked Farid almost doubtfully, as though he couldn't quite allow himself to believe it.

"Yes but not yet." Farid stared at him wide-eyed. "We can't go back yet it's too dangerous," Dustfinger continued.

Farid nodded but he still didn't look convinced. Dustfinger didn't blame him but he didn't have the energy to try to get Farid to believe him. Instead, he found a spot on the floor to sit down on. With his back against the wall, he looked over to where the Black Prince and Brianna were now talking. He watched as the Black Prince put his arm around his daughter's shoulders and he felt the jealousy surge in his chest. _He_ was her father. Why wasn't _he_ the one comforting her?

_Well, what did you expect?_ He thought. _You're the only one to blame. _

They sat there talking to each other for hours while Dustfinger looked on with Farid asleep on the floor next to him. Finally the Prince got to his feet and made his way over to Dustfinger.

"She told me what happened," he said sitting down beside him.

"Did she?" replied Dustfinger, trying to sound uninterested.

"Yes she did and she found out some pretty useful information."

"She did?" Dustfinger asked, no longer worried about how he sounded. He had been so concerned with the fact that she had gone, he hadn't bothered to ask where she had actually gotten to.

"She found out who the spy was, didn't you know?" The Prince raised his eyebrows at his oldest friend. "It was Sootbird by the way."

Dustfinger was at a complete loss for what to say.

"You do realise she really was just trying to help. What did you honestly expect her to do, sit there and patiently wait for you to come back?"

"I don't know," Dustfinger answered truthfully.

"She's really upset."

"I know," said Dustfinger heavily.

"She needs her father."

"No she doesn't. She's coped ten years without him and let's face it, all I have done so far is put her in danger."

"Are you really that stupid?"

Dustfinger looked up at the Black Prince in shock. He had never spoken to him like that before. The Prince had always been respectful of Dustfinger's choices and had stood by him with all his decisions regardless of whether or not he agreed with them.

"You weren't there for those ten years so you have absolutely no idea how well she coped. You have no idea how upset she was when you left or how much she missed you! You missed ten whole years of her life! If you think she spent those ten years safe and sound in the care of Roxanne then you are sadly mistaken. She would've managed to get into just as much trouble with or without you there. Besides you and I both know that that is just a poor excuse to justify those years that you weren't there! That little girl needs you to be her father so you better start figuring out how you're going to step up and do that for her!"

If Dustfinger looked shocked before, it was nothing to how he looked now. He sat there gaping while the Prince composed himself.

"Wow," said Dustfinger having finally found his voice.

"I'm sorry. It's not my place to-"

"Don't apologise," said Dustfinger firmly. With that he got up and walked over to where Brianna was sitting still with her back to him.

"Brianna?"

Brianna looked up at him, startled to find him so close.

"Can I sit here?" he asked gesturing to the ground next to her.

She shrugged so he sat. "I didn't mean what I said before about you going with your mother…..or at least I didn't mean it like that."

"So what did you mean?" she said coldly. She wasn't about to forgive him yet and he didn't expect her to.

"All I meant was that you would be safer if you were if you were back in Ombra with your mother. I didn't mean that I didn't want you around or that I wasn't happy that you wanted to stay with me." _So this is what it felt like to find the right words at last. _He could see her expression soften slightly with every word that he said. "And I'm sorry about how I reacted; I was just so scared that something had happened to you."

"Really? So you didn't mean it?"

Dustfinger smiled. "No, I didn't mean it," he assured her.

"Erm…. Dad, could you stay with me here? You know just until I fall asleep?"

Dustfinger looked at her, the Prince had been right, she was still so young and she did need him.

"Yes of course."

**Was anyone else cheering the Black Prince on through that little speech? Okay so just me then :D** **Sorry that Roxanne isn't in this much….. I'm just not a fan** **and when I was writing the last story I got the impression that you lot weren't either. **

**Get ready for the next chapter because I think its going to be the last **


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the final chapter. **

**For the last time, everything recognisable belongs to Cornelia Funke!!!!!**

Over the next couple of weeks, Dustfinger and Brianna spent a lot of time together. Sometimes she would watch him summon flowers made of fire, or he would watch her dance and sing but sometimes they would just sit close by each other, just being in each other's presence was enough.

When they heard news of Cosimo's death, it was Dustfinger that Brianna turned to for comfort. When the Black Prince held his meeting to determine what needed to be done, Brianna had taken her place next to her father proudly. Finally, when they had needed to go and see the path that the prisoners would take out of the Castle of Night, Dustfinger knew better than to leave her behind.

However, when the time came to go out and meet the prisoners, both Dustfinger and the Black Prince had to put their foot down.

"But what if-"

"No."

"Well I could always-"

"No."

"Maybe I could-"

"NO!" Dustfinger and the Prince had shouted at her, both having had enough of her trying to find a way around their concerns.

"Brianna you _have_ to stay here," the Prince tried to explain. The fact was that all of those who had volunteered to go knew that their chances of coming back would be slim. Trying to explain that to a stubborn teenager was proving difficult though as none of them could quite bring themselves to say it out loud.

"Why though?"

"Someone has to be here to look after everyone when we come back." Dustfinger felt bad for lying to her. Lying to her wasn't nearly as easy as lying to anyone else but it had to be done. _And it's not exactly a lie_, he reasoned with himself. _If any of them came back they would certainly need looking after._

His reasoning seemed to fade when he caught the uneasy expression on the Prince's face. Brianna, on the other hand, looked slightly mollified. Then she looked at him. She looked him straight in the eye and took a deep breath almost as if she was readying herself for something.

"You are coming back though, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Apparently that was all Brianna needed to hear because she left him alone after that and did not ask if she could come again. But it left Dustfinger with a strangely hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. Those words seemed to hang in the air, echoing inside his head: _I promise_. It was a lot to promise someone but Dustfinger felt determined to keep that promise.

The robbers left Brianna and a few others behind with heavy hearts. Not many spoke and when they did, it was all in whispers or hushed tones. Brianna watched her father walk away. It was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do; she longed to follow him. She had a bad feeling and she wanted him to stay with her but she had learned her lesson (even if it had taken a while). She was not going to go after them, she would stay exactly where she had been told to stay and she would not move until they came back.

She moved back inside the cave slowly and sat on the hard, cold ground.

_Dustfinger was lying among the trees, drenched to the skin by the rain, with Farid beside him._

Brianna closed her eyes. The silence in the cave was deafening to her. It was an eerie silence. It was the kind of silence that presses down on you; threatening to suffocate you at any given moment.

_Here they came at last, a forlorn little troop, almost as wet as the robbers waiting for them._

She began to hum to herself, one of the songs that her mother had taught her when she was just a child. Rosanna had been alive then…..

_The Black Prince was the first to leap out of the trees._

Rosanna had known all the words to this song in particular. It had been one of her favourites. Why couldn't she remember all the words?

_Cursing quietly, Dustfinger rose to his feet too_.

Brianna focused on the song as hard as she could, singing quietly now instead of humming. The others heard her and stopped to listen to the pretty girl with the beautiful voice.

_This was going to be a day of bloodshed_.

Dustfinger could hear the cries of pain around him. He could smell the blood. He tried to concentrate on what he was doing but the task was becoming more and more difficult. He had already spotted Basta in amongst all of those still standing and he was pretty sure that Basta had spotted him too.

Dustfinger had also seen Silvertongue slashing away with his sword as though he had been doing it his whole life. He had seen the Black Prince bravely wielding his own sword. He had not, however, seen Farid in some time. Assuming that he had gone to find Meggie, it had not troubled him before, the boy was quick on his feet, but now it was worrying him slightly.

Wincing as another body dropped to the ground beside him, he was glad that Brianna was not here to see this. Despite her bravery and determination, he doubted that she would have handled this very well. He still remembered the look of fear on her face when she had seen his leg up close for the first time since they left the mill. _No_, he thought, _she wouldn't have liked this at all. But then again, who would?_

That was when he saw Basta again, beaming. _What was he looking at?_ Dustfinger followed his gaze to two people who looked very small up against the soldiers and robbers. _Oh no. Oh God no._

"FARID!"

But Farid couldn't hear him over all the noise. He ran to him as fast as he could, throwing people, friend or foe, out of the way in his haste to reach Farid and Meggie.

"FARID!"

Basta took aim and threw the knife as hard as he could.

Dustfinger dived at the boy and both of them hurtled to the ground. But he hadn't gotten their fast enough.

"Dustfinger?"

Both Dustfinger and Farid looked down shocked and Meggie followed their gaze. Basta had reached his target. Dustfinger could not believe his eyes. There was Basta's knife. It had pierced his heart. Basta had killed him.

**I know I hate myself for ending it like this but it kind of popped into my head while I was writing one of the other chapters and I just couldn't end it in any other way. Oh well… hope everyone enjoyed it!**


End file.
